• Movies

by Arcee on 02.22.12

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen lately. And why not, they have always been some of the best horror villains since George Romero kick started the genre with his 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. Since then, the zombie genre has been one of the most entertaining horror genres for viewers to enjoy. But over the last couple of years, the zombie has gotten a bit stale, a bit bland and even a little lifeless. (Pardon the pun.) A few movies here and there have managed to keep the genre invigorated, but as a whole you could really skip every other 10 zombie films and it wouldn’t be that big a loss. But I urge you not to do that with The Dead. This zombie road thriller set in the African continent isn’t going to wow you with the gore say 28 Days Later did; but it will surprise you in ways that zombie films have forgotten to as of late – dread. 

The Dead remains loyal to the zombie rules laid out in Night of the Living Dead: zombies move slow, they are dangerous in numbers, don’t get bit and head shots kill – but it is this loyalty to the classic that makes it stand out. The zombies themselves don’t look as gory as those in The Walking Dead or move as fast as those in the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake. They look like freshly dead bodies for the most part. But it is when they are gathered in numbers where The Dead succeeds in making these soulless creatures horrifying. In the opening scene, a small pack of zombies decimate an entire village, even with the protection of armed men trying to stave the attack. The fact that the zombies remain hard to kill when panicked, as most people would certainly be if it were the real thing, is presented multiple times throughout the film, but never with so much more veracity as in this scene.

Also, the disturbing way the zombies kill their victims is in clear view here. You see zombies tearing away huge chunks of meat and flesh from their victims. Bones snap, blood squirts and the zombies appetite only seems to grow with each fresh kill. One particularly disturbing scene is when a zombie catches a victim and manages to bite off all of toes with the camera never once panning away during the entire scene. The man is killed slowly and painfully as bits and pieces of his body are torn away in a feeding frenzy – all while the camera shows you every moment of his demise. 

Still, the most engaging part of The Dead isn’t the story of death and destruction but rather the friendship developed between two men of two completely different cultures and lifestyles. American Air Force engineer, Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) and African military enlistee, Sgt. Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei) must rely on each other to survive not only the zombie apocalypse before them, but the harshness of the African wilderness. The relationship between these two men in the time of need is the true heart of the film. Uneasy around each other at first, the trust they eventually share with each other gives the viewer a sense of hope in a world literally going to hell. 

While many of you may pass The Dead up at your local shopping center because it is a lesser known title; STOP! Walk back and pick it up. A new setting for the apocalypse provides the perfect backdrop for the zombie film. Showing that the devastation and effects of a zombie apocalypse will affect every inch of this planet is something rarely expressed in zombie films, but The Dead captures that perfectly. Along with some great acting, scenes of horrifying death and an ending that leaves you cursing at the screen for ending way too early, The Dead should definitely be on your radar when looking for a new Blu-ray for your collection – especially for you horror fans out there.